So far my favourite of all the Black Mirror episodes of Season 3 is Nosedive. Why?
Its true already.
People are living based on what people think of them and their social media accounts. The simple quantifiable 5* rating is already everywhere, and it’s easy, but it’s flawed and it’s stupid and people go crazy for the ratings others give them.
It’s similar to a videogame where players MMR (matchmaking rating) is recorded, so every time they win or lose they move up or down. These games are much more intense and people take them so seriously that they fight and argue and shout at players who prevent them from winning. Tying your self-worth to a number is a big mistake, and the only way we win is to not play.
When you buy in and play the social network numbers game, you’re whole life is completely dependent on what other people think of you. Your life is in strangers’ hands, and really just the people who have the best fake smile on their fake social media accounts do well in this zone.
But really most of those people are one day away from losing it and being the crazy person at a wedding screaming as they are dragged away by the groomsmen. And if we’re not, then we’re the sociopaths who just use our friends as leverage to look good on our page.
The only way to win is to not play the game.